An Israeli F-15 jet fighter flies above the border area with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel on 17 November 2023 amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (Jack Guez/AFP)
- The United States approved a $20 billion military
equipment sale to Israel. - The equipment’s delivery is slated to begin in 2026, and
F-15 jets are expected to start arriving in 2029. - The package aims to ensure Israel maintains its
qualitative military edge in the region.
The United States on Tuesday approved the sale of $20
billion in fighter jets and other military equipment to Israel as it prosecutes
a 10-month-old war in the Gaza Strip, although the Pentagon said deliveries
would not begin for years.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken approved the sale of
F-15 jets and equipment worth nearly $19 billion, along with tank cartridges
valued at $774 million, explosive mortar cartridges valued at over $60 million
and army vehicles worth $583 million, the Pentagon said in a statement.
The Boeing Co F-15 fighter jets were expected to take years
to produce, and deliveries were expected to begin in 2029. Other equipment
would begin delivery in 2026, according to the Pentagon.
An expert on the process said some deliveries could be even
earlier than 2026.
The Pentagon said:
The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to US national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, in a post on X,
thanked US officials for helping Israel maintain “its qualitative military
edge in the region” and the US commitment to Israel’s security. The US,
Israel’s biggest ally and weapons supplier, has sent Israel more than 10 000
highly destructive 2 000-pound bombs and thousands of Hellfire missiles since
the start of the Gaza war in October, US officials told Reuters in June.
The war has devastated Gaza and resulted in a heavy civilian
death toll. Hoping to avert a wider Middle East war, Washington has sought with
other regional mediators to arrange a ceasefire.
President Joe Biden laid out a three-phase Gaza ceasefire
proposal on 31 May. But efforts have so far been unsuccessful in bringing it to
fruition.
The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian
conflict began when Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel on 7
October, killing 1 200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli
tallies.
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Israel’s subsequent assault on the Hamas-governed enclave
has killed nearly 40 000 Palestinians, according to the local health ministry.
It has also displaced nearly the entire population of 2.3 million, caused a
hunger crisis and led to genocide allegations at the World Court that Israel
denies.
Washington has faced mounting domestic and international
criticism for its military support for Israel.
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